Unfortunately, many legal websites tend to follow such a similar format that it can be hard to distinguish one from another. You want your site to accurately reflect your brand while being professional and, of course, achieving your goal of maximum conversion. The question many webmasters tend to overlook is whether the site is also easy on the eyes. In other words, does the person landing on the site want to stay and read or are they hitting the back button as fast as they can. Before you begin, consider once again the purpose of your legal website. What do you hope to accomplish and what sort of mood do you want to set for your visitors?

One of the most basic issues on your website is readability. Is it truly easy on the eyes? We have all attempted to read online articles in fancy fonts or on a colored background, or words which were crammed together with little to no whitespace. When a reader struggles to decipher your content not only will they not stay—they will not be back. Consider the fact that most all newspapers and magazines are printed in columns. The purpose is to shorten the lines so that after you’ve read one line it’s easy to find the start of the next. If you don’t want to use columns, center your text with no line of text exceeding 650 pixels in width. Almost all those who use computers have screens at least 1024 x 768 pixels, so keep this in mind when putting your pages together.

There is almost never a reason to place light text on a light background or the flip side: dark text on a dark background. Ensure your text and background are nicely contrasted and no matter how much you want to add color to your site, resist the urge to do so with your actual text. If you actually want visitors to read your website, make sure it is large enough that they actually can read it. 12px is the standard and anything smaller is…well, too small. Use white space intelligently. Make sure there is a bit of space after each line, and don’t crowd your graphics in too close to your content.

While capitalizing a word can draw the reader’s attention, use all caps sparingly. If you want to draw attention to something, make your title bold or in all caps, or even in a different or larger font, but the remainder of the text must be easy to read. The same goes for exclamation points. An article filled with exclamation points does not make it more important, only annoying to the reader. Now, this tip certainly seems like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised how many websites ignore it: Use a spell checker. While there are certainly people in the world who may not notice or care that there are misspelled words on your website, the majority of people do notice and they do care.  Misspelled words on your site make you look amateurish and unprofessional or give the reader the idea that you don’t care enough to give your content a once-over prior to publishing. 

Finally, make sure that you use graphics sparingly and that they do not detract from your message. For expert help in creating your legal website, you need a designer who is experienced in lawyer website design. We have the experience, the knowledge and a long history of creating stellar websites for legal professionals. For your free consultation, call (800) 877-2776 to speak with a design expert—never a sales representative.

There are essentially only three ways we get to a site: we can be surfing one site and see a link which looks promising, we can type in a search query then click on the link in the search results, or we can enter the domain name directly into our computer’s Internet address bar. This method is generally known as direct navigation.

Direct navigation occurs when the person who is searching knows the precise website they are looking for and approximately one-sixth of all traffic have directly typed in the domain name.  Those firms who are fortunate enough to have a domain name which brings in this highly targeted traffic are probably aware that not only does the right domain name bring traffic to their firm—it prevents the competition from obtaining those crucial leads.

The Benefits of Generic Domain Names

What many people are unaware of is that a relatively generic domain name can bring the kind of targeted traffic that most firms only dream of. Those firms who manage the highest number of direct-navigation domain names are much less reliant of the whims of the search engine algorithms. When all the generic domain names a firm owns are redirected to the primary domain, your firm has just upped your traffic considerably.

Consider that Barnes & Noble owns the domain name “books.com” which is then redirected to their primary website and you will understand the importance of generic domain names. In many instances obtaining these generic domain names can be considered “Internet real estate,” meaning you may even be able to write off the cost of such a business asset. Of course in the legal business, finding generic domain names which pertain to the industry may take a little more creativity, but could certainly be worth a brainstorming session or two.

The Importance of Choosing Your Domain Names

If you are new to the legal website world and have not yet chosen your primary domain name, be aware that this is truly one of the most important aspects of your overall online marketing strategy. A unique yet pertinent domain name will increase your profits for years to come by allowing your customers to find you easily. The best domain name will drive web traffic and sales to you and will, of course, reflect your legal services. When choosing a domain name think relevance and simplicity as well as ensuring the domain name is memorable and easy to spell. It is crucial that you include your firm’s primary keywords in your domain name whenever possible.

While there are other extensions such as .info and .biz, a .com address will be much more easily recognized by the public, and for those who are typing your domain address directly into the search bar, they will naturally add the .com. If you happen to live in an area where a domain name such as kansascitylawyer.com is available, grab it quickly! You can always redirect such a domain name to your primary domain should you choose to have your firm’s name in the primary domain.

Because domain names are relatively inexpensive, choose as many as are available from your short list. Should you not use the domain name in the next couple of years, you will likely have no trouble selling it and might even turn a profit. For expert and professional advice regarding domain names as well as any questions regarding legal web design or law firm website content, call (800) 877-2776 for your free consultation. You will receive valuable advice and strategies from highly experienced writers with a law degree – not sales representatives.